


Return

by InertPlanetary



Category: Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:08:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29072292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InertPlanetary/pseuds/InertPlanetary
Summary: A little bit of a drabble. Retrometabolism is not easy.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 13





	Return

It was always a relief to see Adam's face blur into focus when he came to. As the image sharpened he could see the serious worry change into mild concern and relief. That shift in emotion always reassured Paul; it meant that he had returned to life and not passed into whatever lay beyond.  
Another far less pleasant reminder that he was alive again was the pain. His brain and body had to reconnect after his retrometabolism and part of that was every nerve ending firing simultaneously. It took less than a minute but it seemed to drag on for days; it was beyond the worst pain imaginable.  
It wasn't just the nerves of his skin. His spine burned, his muscles tensed like they were going to rip from his bones, his guts twisted. His head throbbed as neural pathways reformed and his brain expanded to functional dimensions. His heart fluttered into a rhythm, his breaths were short, shallow and stabbing. Sometimes coming back was worse than death itself.  
There was one sensation in all this that was almost pleasant. Adam would grab Paul's hand and hold onto it when he saw his face screw up with pain. It felt like his hand was being crushed; it hurt like hell but it was comforting. This brief agony was for something far greater than himself. It was for the world, for humanity, _for Adam_.  
“Paul? You’re nearly back Paul, keep breathing...” Paul knew this was a scary time, even though the blonde’s voice was strong and unwavering. His body tensed a final time, he went limp, then caught his breath and slowly blinked awake.  
“Afternoon, Captain.” He smiled. “It’s sure good to be back!”


End file.
